Arrogant
by heartbeat7
Summary: Tony Stark and Lydia James grew up together. He became a weapons engineer and she an aeronautics one. Being smart doesn't guarentee you a job. And it definately doesn't guarentee your safety. Rather, it is her intelligence and his that puts her life in danger. She finds herself the missing link to an evil man's plan. And it's her knowledge that may forever keep her from him.
1. Age Three

The two mothers hold handheld cameras and aim them at the two children in the middle of the modern living room. One of the cameras is chunky and black. The other is a shiny, thin red one. The picture is a fraction better and captures the blue of both children's eyes better than the first. But neither mother is interested or worried. Neither is materialistic.

The little girl is doing a little dance that children often do. She's too young to really know how to jump. All she can do is bend at the knees and bounce up and down. Her hair is in two messy buns atop her head, little curls breaking free. Her flowered shirt almost reaches her knees. It was a gift that she has yet to grow into. The little boy behind her is not as excited as she is. While his father isn't around, he's discovered that he can jump from the couch onto the plush rug without punishment. And he's testing this theory passionately. However, he catches sight of the camera and he equates that little machine with attention. He runs over on little legs and nearly trips twice, causing the mothers to wince. He reaches the little girl and stands in front of her. This is his spotlight and she's in the way. Realizing that she's been pushed into the background, she sidesteps the mesmerized toddler and reclaims some limelight.

Her mother giggles. "Lydia, show us the song you learned yesterday."

The boy's eyes shoot over to the little girl.

She hops up and down again and her hands clutch at her shirt. "Twinkle, twinkle little star" her voice hits a sweet, childish high note. But after that all words are lost to cute mumbles and humming because with everything she's trying to take in every day, she can't remember the rest.

So the little boy picks it up. "How I wonder where you are!" he shouts and actually jumps an inch off the floor. His eyes are wide and bright and he is alive with the attention.

"Good job Tony" his mother laughs.

Now Lydia is mad and pushes Tony. Her mom scolds her and she points and starts to whimper. It's not fair! He stole her song! Tony doesn't realize what he did wrong and stops to watch the little girl start to have a meltdown. But after she pushes him, he has to take his revenge. He pushes her back and then gets yelled at by his mother. Now both of them are sobbing and their faces are red from whining. Tears stream down their faces. All of it is captured on video by two smiling moms.

In half an hour they are both tuckered out and they fall start to rub their eyes. The cameras are turned off and each child is scooped up by their mom. Tony curls up into his mom's arms and yawns. Lydia is already asleep.

Tony's room is down the hall. It is painted blue with a thousand stars painted on the walls. The ones on the ceiling glow in the dark and no nightlight is needed. His bed has spaceships and moons all across the sheets. Maria Stark tucks her son in and kisses him on the forehead. Lydia is placed on the other side of the bed. It's at least a queen sized bed and even with the two of them on it, there's enough room for two full-grown adults. Rose James kisses her daughter goodnight and leaves the room with Maria.

In his sleep, Tony spreads out across the bed and starts to roll. His arm smacks Lydia but she remains asleep. He kicks the blankets off of himself. Lydia pulls them closer and hugs the pillow with little arms. She's completely unconscious and unaware of the little boy migrating closer and closer to her.

The mothers sit at the granite island and sip from thin wine glasses. "He looks so much like his father" Rose notes with a smile.

Maria nods. "Yes. He's very intelligent too. I wonder what exactly he got from me" she jokes. "Lydia seems to be a good mix of the two of you."

Rose nods. "Yep. She's got my brown hair and Nick's blue eyes. I just wish she wasn't as stubborn as he is. She fights me all the time."

"Tony too." The mothers smile in their knowing way. Their children, like their husbands, are very much alike. The two are often thought to be siblings. And they may as well be for how connected their lives are.

After idle chitchat, the conversations become more serious and their voices, although the house is empty accept for them and their children, lower to almost whispers. "Are you worried?"

"Of course I am" Maria says with a shake of her head and another sip of wine. "I'm nervous every day he leaves the house. Howard is pushing boundaries and there are always people that don't like that or want that kind of technology for themselves. Just look what happened after the Manhattan Project!"

Rose nods in understanding. Many nights were spent sleepless, worrying that her husband would not be coming home. The government had warned them of the seriousness of the project. Kidnapping was a possibility. And then so was assassination. When he returned home, she would dive into his arms and hold him for long periods of time. He held her tightly to his chest. The fear that they would never see each other again was always there.

Things were worse once children were brought into the picture. Howard, developing weapons for the United States, was in great risk in all departments. And with a young son, both parents feared that one day he wouldn't be around to see his son grow and become a man. Tony would need a father to guide and teach him. God only knows how Howard was when he was teenager. Tony would be just as rebellious and flirtatious. He'd get himself into a lot of trouble without his father around to rein him in.

And while Nick had moved from weapon development, the Space Race could hardly be called safe. The Russians would want any kind of information and technology they could get their hands on; even if it was American information. One man had already been approached by a Russian spy at NASA, a man that Nick was familiar with. The spy was taken into custody, but the whole encounter left every uneasy. Especially Rose. She worried for her daughter. While nothing serious had come of the incident, there was always that hint of fear that to get to the head researcher, someone would come for their daughter. This was a fear that both parents shared but neither voiced. It was easier to brush it aside as silly when neither of them thought the other was thinking the same.

So it was decided between husbands and wives that fears were not to be spoken of between each other. The only people they could confide in were the other wife and other husband. Because there is no denial between the two men and two women when they are alone that there is much to be worried about. Their children may as well be growing up as intelligence agents. There is just as much, if not more, danger to their lives every second of the day.

So it's no surprise that within the hour, the mothers are back to check on their children. Rose claps her hand over her mouth to keep from waking the children. Maria is beaming. For on the bed, three year old Tony has inched and rolled his way over to Lydia and pressed his back against hers. Lydia has in turn snuggled up to Tony and curved her body to fit against his perfectly. It would be the perfect picture if the mothers didn't think that the flash would wake them up.

Tony yawns and rolls again. His nose brushes up against Lydia's neck and he breathes against her skin. She tenses in her sleep, the warm air tickling her neck. Yet she doesn't pull away.


	2. Age Eight

For Halloween, Lydia's third grade class was having a Halloween party. The room was decorated by parent volunteers in an array of orange and black. The children were dressed in their costumes and absolutely no learning took place all day, much to the joy of every child.

Lydia had decided a month ago that she was going to be a fairy. Mrs. James spent days sewing a little green dress and probing the internet for fairy wings to attach. There's only so much a mom with basic sewing skills can do and making wings is not one of them.

Ever since little Lydia put on her costume she had been beaming. The magic of Halloween is always so much stronger in children. For Lydia, today she really was a fairy. She could fly if she wanted to. But she didn't want to so that is why she is walking everywhere. Yes, she believes in fairies. Yes, she _is_ a fairy.

And Tony is a werewolf.

He escaped from his classroom because even though he'll never admit it, he misses Lydia. The kids in fifth grade aren't the same as his friends in third. They don't treat him the same. To them, he is some smart-alecky kid that's stolen all of the attention. But to Lydia and the others, he's the kid who has done the impossible. He can understand math and science that they won't for two more years. He's a genius!

Dressed in brown clothes with whiskers and a wolf nose painted on his face, he stalks into the room when no one is watching. He smirks to himself, he's so sly. His prey sits at her desk with a brownie on a plastic plate in front of her. Her attention is elsewhere. No one remembered to bring the plastic cups for the game so while Mrs. James makes a mad dash to the party store, their teacher, Ms. Loy, found an old cartoon that _very _loosely has to do with Halloween. The other kids have seen it and are busy stuffing their faces with sugar. But Lydia either hasn't seen it or has forgotten because she is completely captivated. The perfect prey.

Tony dives under the rows of desks and army crawls around feet until he sees her green ballet slippers. He rolls his eyes at her girly costume. He had wanted her to be werewolf with him so they could make a pack, but she wouldn't do it. She was a zombie last year with him. This year she wanted to dress like the other little girls. Last year hadn't gone over so well. And Tony was not happy about her ditching him. It was time for revenge.

But what child can resist chocolate?

Tony looks up at Lydia but she's too focused on the TV. He holds his breath, reaches up, and snatches her brownie off the plate. In a second, it is devoured and he can focus again on revenge. With quick hands, he steals her shoe and throws it across the room under the desks. When he turns back to see if Lydia has noticed, she's in fact face to face with him. He jumps and bangs his head on her desk. "Ow! Lydia!" he whisper shouts and rubs his head while glaring up at her.

Lydia just smiles and moves so that she can sit under her desk with Tony as well. "What are you doing here?" she asks. She crosses her legs and then notices that she's missing a shoe. Immediately, she turns to Tony who smirks. "Where is my shoe?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's with your werewolf costume" he says, very proud of his comeback.

Lydia crosses her arms and glares at the boy who isn't at all affected. "You're not the boss of me" she snaps. "Now get my shoe."

Tony moves closer so that the two of their noses are almost pressed together. "Who says?" he responds to her first statement.

"I say" she says firmly. Her eyes never break the glare but she manages to catch sight of her shoe across the room. Yet she makes no move to get it. Tony threw it, Tony will get it. Otherwise she'll be mad at him forever. Tony knows this but is too proud to give up and get the little shoe. It wouldn't be all that much trouble and he planned to get it for her anyway, but now that she's _told_ him to…

They sit and stare at each other for a few minutes. Both are very standoffish and unwilling to budge on the issue. She watches him warily and he smirks the whole time. Both are confident that they will win the battle.

Lucky for them, someone else decided to get the shoe. A little boy by the name of Will pops up under the row of desks. He has a mop of blonde hair that gets in his eyes when he bends down to pick up the green slipper. He glances around at all the feet and looks for the one that's missing a shoe. And then his eyes land on Tony and Lydia. His eyebrows raise and he waves the shoe. Lydia smiles at him, something that Tony notices and makes the smirk drop from his face, and she nods. Tony's head snaps in his direction with breakneck speed. The look he shoots Will is as cold as death. Without a word or another glance at Lydia, he crawls over to Will in a huff. The boys lock eyes. Will doesn't want a part of this but that doesn't stop Tony from glaring and blowing smoke out of his ears. He snatches the shoe fiercely and quickly returns it to a stunned Lydia. Tony has never backed down. She's never won before. And here Tony is putting her shoe back on for her.

He sees the looks she's giving him and rolls his eyes. "Something the matter with your face?" he teases.

That snaps her out of it really quick. "You're a jerk" she snaps and crawls out from under the desks. She sits back at her desk, not really caring what Tony is doing or where he is. That is, until she sees only a plate of crumbs on her desk. Lydia jumps back down to the ground. Tony hasn't moved.

"Did you miss me?"

"You ate my brownie!" she nearly yells. Tony shrugs, only infuriating her more. But then she remembers how he reacted to the shoe. She crosses her arms over her chest. "Go get me a new one."

Tony snorts. "Get it yourself."

Lydia smirks. "I'll just ask Will to get me one then."

And to her utter dismay, Tony shrugs and crawls out from under her desk. He only pauses for a second to lean closer and whisper. "Will and Lydia sitting in a tree…"

A slipper covered foot meets and unprotected shin and the matter is dropped. Like a wounded animal, Tony retreats to the corner of the room where he goes unnoticed by the parents trying to set up the party games before the movie is over. Lydia sits back at her desk with a grumble. How dare he? He thinks he's so cool.

Tony grabs himself a plate and stacks it full with sweets. The food in the third grade is much better than that in fifth. The parents there have been on the PTA for five years and are sick of the parties. All the food is store bought and cold with preservatives. But the food here is homemade and the chocolate in the cookies is even melting! When his plate weighs five pounds, he takes the chair of the girl that went to the bathroom and pulls it up to Lydia's desk. He pretends not to notice the way she looks from him to his food and then back again. But he can't help the smirk that graces his lips.

After he's devoured five cookies and seriously aggravated Lydia, Tony stands up with his plate.

"Where are you going?" she asks, somewhat curious and unable to hide this fact.

He shrugs. "Back to my own party."

Lydia says nothing and turns away from him as he heads to the door. But Tony stops half way and tiptoes back to her desk. He reaches over her head and when his hand is just over her plate, he opens his palm. A warm brownie, albeit a bit crushed from his hand, drops onto her plate. She turns with a surprised smile but Tony's already out the door.


	3. Age Thirteen

The rain beats down on the pavement at a torrential rate. The world is blurry with the constant stream of water. Every few seconds, when the rain shines like diamonds because of a car's headlights, the two turn their backs so that their dark coats appear to blend with the night sky. Once the car passes, Lydia brushes the rain out of her eyes. Her partner in crime smirks and shakes his hair. A cascade of raindrops escapes but it's nothing compared to the drops falling from the clouds.

All Lydia's clothes are soaked already and her boots are sinking into the mud. The little grey electrical box is nearly invisible against the dark sky. "You sure you want to do this?" he asks her.

Lydia rolls her eyes. "We haven't had one single day off of school in seven years. No snow days. No nothing."

"Until now" he says with a smirk.

She nods her head and steps back when he pulls out the pair of garden shears. The lock snaps easily under the pressure of them. "That was a little too easy" he notices.

Lydia shrugs. "I see these things open all the time. You could have used a pair of child scissors and the lock would have broken."

A crack of lightning illuminates the sky and the two freeze. Only when they are again plunged in darkness do they open the electrical box. They doubt anyone would try and stop them, and if they did they would run, but there is still that sense of needing to be sly and secretive. It may have never been taught to them, but it's pretty obvious that this is illegal.

Paul reaches into the box and withdraws a handful of colorful wires. He gives Lydia a helpless look. They hadn't thought this far. "Any idea?" She shakes her head and he sighs. He plays a quick game of eenie-meenie-minee-mo and then just chooses one at random.

Neither has really thought about electrical engineering and the idea of electrocution. Well, they sort of have because Paul is careful not to have his hands on the wire as he places the shears on either side of the wire. However, they didn't really think of how the wire is live and the current can easily travel through the metal tool. And while the rain may have seemed like the perfect cover, it only adds to the danger and conductibility.

Paul takes a deal breath and makes the sign of the cross across his chest before lining up the shears and closing his eyes. Lydia holds her breath.

"I wouldn't do that!"

Both Paul and Lydia jump a mile high. Paul doesn't take a second look at Lydia before taking off across the field, making a break for it. Lydia just watches as he pulls his hood over his dark hair and disappears into the rain. She hopes he slips.

Then, once Paul is out of view, she turns to Tony. "What are you doing here?" she shouts above the increasing rain.

"Saving your life" he says nonchalantly. "That kid would have been electrocuted to death. I didn't know you were dumb enough to try something like this."

Lydia crosses her arms over her chest and glares at Tony even though he can't see. He's dressed more prepared for the rain than she is. Over his hoodie he has a warm jacket that the raindrops seem to bubble on top of rather than soak in. He's probably nice and dry where she is soaked to the bone and can literally feel the rain hitting her supposedly protected skin.

"Was I the one with the shears in my hands?" she shoots back.

Tony doesn't miss a beat though. He never does. He's always quick with a witty rebuttal. "I don't remember you objecting."

She's silent for a moment. "You're truly infuriating sometimes" she says with a shake of her head, unintentionally sending a lock of hair flying until it sticks to her cheek. "How did you even know I was here?"

"I covered for you. Therefore I kind of needed to know where you were."

"Yeah but how?" She watches him for a second but he doesn't appear to want to give up his secret. This irritates her but she doesn't want to start bickering. Rather, she wants to curl up under a blanket by a fire. "What did you tell my parents?"

"That you came over for the night so I could tutor you in chemistry. Your parents think you're failing by the way."

"What do your parents think we're doing?"

Tony reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little metal orb that glows blue around the middle. He rolls it around his palm a few times. "They think I'm at a football game and you're with me." He takes the orb and holds it between two fingers, letting it get drenched in the rain and just begging Lydia to ask.

"What is that thing?"

"It's _my_ pair of shears. You were trying to cut the power right?" Lydia nods and Tony smirks. His smirk is so different from Paul's. It's more mischievous and lovable than mysterious. He has a kind, friendly smirk that you love to get fed up with.

He places the orb within the mess of wires and pulls Lydia back by the elbow. "Is that going to explode?" she asks alarmed.

"What?" Tony shouts because he has his ears covered. Lydia panics and throws her hands over her ears as well and squeezes her eyes shut. Her whole body is tense as she waits for the explosion but after a minute it never comes. She opens her eyes cautiously and glances at Tony.

He's clutching his stomach in laughter. She drops her hands from her ears and gives Tony a little shove. "You're an ass."

Suddenly the sound of the rain is out voiced by a rolling crack. She glances to the right and sees the houses once aglow are plunged in darkness. Behind them, the school is also dark. And so is every house as far as the eye can see. "Tony…"

He reaches into the box and takes out the little sphere.

"Tony what did you do?"

"We should go" he says when he hears the police sirens. She follows behind him and they slip and slide in the mud trying to get away from the scene of the crime. Everything is perfectly black and it's hard for Lydia to see where Tony is, let alone if they've mistakenly walked into the street. A car would be a welcome surprise because it would provide a second of light. Tony leads the two of them to the sidewalk and they start the trek of only a few blocks home.

"So what were you doing with that guy anyway?" he asks after they've been silent for a few minutes.

It catches her off guard. "Paul?"

"No, the guy from Blockbuster" he says sarcastically. Slightly offended by his attitude, she doesn't respond and waits for him to realize that she's angry with him. "The guy's trouble, Pres."

"Oh and you're not? Tony, you just blew out the power for miles!"

Tony smiles at his handiwork. "That wasn't what I was planning but I have to say I am impressed with this little thing" he says and tosses the sphere back and forth in his hands. "I'll have to use it again. I have finals in a couple weeks… Now about this little punk ass kid."

"Lay off" she says and won't look at him.

"He'll get you in prison."

"We're not friends, Tony!" she shouts. "I don't really even know the guy. I just needed someone to help me…"

"Help you get killed" Tony says snidely. There's a hint of a smile on his face now. All seriousness has disappeared. At least she's not ever going to see that guy again.


	4. Age Sixteen

Tony

She's gorgeous. Long, lean legs embellished by thin, black stilettos. The skin is smooth and glossy. A less than modest skirt thankfully covers near to nothing. It's tight and thin enough to show the thong she's wearing. Her shirt is unfortunately a little bigger and doesn't cling to her nearly enough. But it's so loose that the front hangs down when she bends and he gets a good look at her black bra. He smirks when she catches his eye. There's a look in her eyes that he's used to: recognition. He is Tony Stark after all. She slides tantalizingly slow onto the dance floor.

Tony smirks and merges into the mass of people grinding and jumping. Colors flash in all directions temporarily blinding him and his view of the girl. The music is loud and shakes the walls as well as the people. Tony can feel his heart struggling to beat against the rhythm of the song. Eventually it'll match that of the drums. As for now, his skin tingles and a rush of adrenaline fills his veins. The possibilities are insane within the club. Literally _anything_ can happen here. A fight is just a light nudge away. There's a crackle of electricity in the air. Lust floats between the airless space between the dancers. It's limitless. It's Neverland. Never grow old. Never face your consequences.

"Hey" he says coolly.

She nods and blonde hair falls across an exposed chest. "You're…"

Before she can say it, he steals her hand from her hip and pulls her further into the mess of bodies. His hands fall to her little bum and hers get lost in his wavy locks. They rock their hips against each other. There's something nice about not knowing her name, Tony decides. It means no commitment. He never owes her anything because, hell, he doesn't even know her name! It's perfect! This is the way to live.

Somehow between songs he gets the two of them out of the crowd, through the back alley, and into his car. It's a sleek, black Audi. She gets in the backseat and he follows. Clothes gets lost on the floor and on the seats. Lips lock and hands get grabby. Tony's head is spinning and his brain is clouded by ecstasy and lust. This girl not only has no name but she has no face. She's just a body. And that's all he wants.

…

Lydia

Lydia curls her toes into the couch cushion and tries to compact as much of her body into the corner of the chair as possible. So far she's completely curled up and all of her body heat is centralized. A blanket makes a cocoon and a book rests on her tucked knees. The book is one she has read before, _Wuthering Heights_. It's a particular favorite of hers. Catherine is her favorite character. Unwilling to break and play it safe she continues her romance with the damned Heathcliff. It's a dark tale and very isolated. And maybe that's what she loves about it.

Things are different now that she's in high school. In seventh and eighth grade, after Tony had left for college, she'd sworn to her mother that she'd make friends in high school. It would be much easier when everyone else was starting over and looking for friends. She swore she would and she had full intentions to seek friends. The problem was that she'd grown accustomed to solitude. She'd learned to entertain herself. She didn't _need_ to go out and talk with people constantly. Her thoughts were enough for the weekdays.

But when she did want to go out on the weekends, who was there to ask? The cliques were only enforced and stronger in high school. Where she thought it would be easy to make new friends, it was incredibly difficult. And when a group tested her to see if she would fit, Lydia always found herself as the awkward person no one wanted to talk to. It wasn't that she was awkward. It was that she was content with her thoughts. When others were gossiping, she didn't see the point. Why talk about someone behind their back? What do you really gain from that? And then of course, she didn't always know the people that were being talked about, an unfortunate side effect of being left out of the cliques for so long. So she sat and silence for some time, creating the illusion of awkwardness. She wanted to talk. She really did. But what do you say? How do you jump into a conversation you don't understand or don't care to carry on?

More than anything, she wished Tony was back. And not just Tony himself but the Tony she knew and understood. But he'd been swept up and out of her reach as well. College wasn't good for someone so young. He'd gotten overwhelmed and choices are so much harder when you hardly realize that they have consequences. But what could anyone do with him? His parents passed away a year earlier in a plane accident. Since then, his driver, Happy, had taken custody for the time being. With Tony's intelligence sky rocketing, college was the only option. But his maturity wasn't growing as quickly. He was just another 16 year old but with a crazy IQ.

And his jump to fame didn't really help matters. With his father's business booming and then his parents' unexpected death, Tony had become one of the most well-known people in America. At 16 he was deemed a genius and already the owner of a multi-billion dollar company, Stark Industries. A 16 year old is suddenly responsible for designing the weapons of an entire country.

While Tony may be living life to the extreme and crazy, Lydia could see the stress and pressure on his shoulders. He is responsible for so much more than he should be. He doesn't know how to react and who is there to guide him? His father would have been the only man that would know how to guide his son. But he's not around. Lydia's own father tried to step in at one point. But Tony had rebelled harshly. It had hurt the James family. But one day, everyone was simply ok with it.

Lydia understood. If he couldn't have his father, he didn't want a close replacement that could potentially replace. She wouldn't either.

After her father downgraded to a life of simple engineering for towns and communities, her life had slowed down as well. She was out of the spotlight and her mother relaxed. There was no fear of someone finding out that Nicholas was a head of the Manhattan Project. They were safe.

But Lydia was friendless. It was easier when people wanted to be her friend because they had heard of her father. At least then she could pick and choose whereas she nearly had to beg now.

Thus developed a passion for reading. You're never alone when you're lost in another world.

"Lydia?"

"Hmm?"

Her mom peers in from the kitchen. Once again her daughter is curled up with a book on a Saturday. She can't remember the last time Lydia had gone out with a friend. She hesitates when she sees the look in Lydia's eyes. It's clear that she wouldn't be living like this if she had a choice. "Never mind" she says and goes back to cooking dinner.

Lydia sighs and takes a second her before picking up her book again. She brushes her bangs out of her eyes and pushes her glasses up a little more. Maybe tomorrow she'll go swim a little. She doesn't have any other plans anyway. It'll have to be lap swim though. Nothing's worse than hanging out in a pool alone. People have super senses for people that are alone. They can pick them out in a crowd and then stare all day. She'd learned the hard way. No, it's better to fake having friends. Pretend to always be busy. And then come home, curl up, and read.


End file.
